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Dozens of Sudanese Schools Suspended in Egypt

Source: Asharq Al-Awsat
The crisis of regularizing the status of Sudanese schools in Egypt has returned to the forefront following the "suspension of activity" of a number of "schools and educational centers" and the "warning" of others due to administrative and organizational violations. This has sparked controversy among residents in Egypt about the nature of the move and its repercussions on their childrens regular attendance at school.

In June of last year, Egyptian authorities closed all Sudanese schools operating in Egypt until their legal status was regularized and new regulations were agreed upon, before some of them resumed operations.

The Sudanese Friendship School, affiliated with the Sudanese Embassy, issued a statement on Saturday evening stating that, under the supervision of the "Cultural Counselor at the Sudanese Embassy," it had "suspended the activities of 73 schools and educational centers in Egypt and decided to permanently prohibit them from teaching the Sudanese curriculum." The schools were "starting early, using the extended year approach, or printing textbooks without the approval of the Friendship School."

It issued a warning of permanent closure to 40 schools and centers if they fail to rectify their conditions within 72 hours, and if these schools announce or begin registration for the 2025-2026 academic year or fail to cooperate with the "school inventory committee" formed by the Sudanese Embassy.

According to statements made by the Cultural Counselor at the Sudanese Embassy in Cairo, recently reported by the Sudan News Agency, "the embassy conducted field visits to Sudanese schools in Cairo and Giza governorates during April and May of this year to complete arrangements for receiving Sudanese students."

The decision to close the schools by the Sudanese Friendship School raised questions among Sudanese residing in Egypt about the reasons for the embassys failure to take this action.

Asharq Al-Awsat was unable to obtain comment from the Sudanese embassy on the implications of the recent decisions. However, Mohamed Jabara, a member of the Sudanese-Egyptian Friendship Association, confirmed that the Egyptian government has granted a single license to the Friendship School to operate legally, and is working to grant some centers operating licenses as affiliated entities, subject to specific conditions.

He explained in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat: "The school is working in cooperation with the embassys cultural advisory and aims to ensure that the necessary conditions are met for the official registration of students." He noted that "the majority of the schools that were closed have not yet reopened, and some have received preliminary approvals. There may not be a need for large numbers of schools with the continued return of Sudanese students."

Sami Al-Baqi, a spokesman for the Sudanese Teachers Committee, told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the decisions attempt to address the problems of education brokers trading in students futures, given the lack of a clear authority for the administration of Sudanese education in Egypt from the embassy, as well as the lack of clarity in the host countrys laws."

Al-Baqi fears that the recent decisions will pave the way for the "Friendship School" to impose its control over Sudanese education in Egypt, without offering realistic solutions to the real problems facing students. He believes that the Cultural Advisory at the Cairo Embassy is responsible for making decisions regulating the status of "regular Sudanese education" in Egypt, anticipating "the intervention of official Sudanese authorities to amend or cancel the recent decisions."

The start date for Sudanese schools in Egypt has not yet been determined, but according to Sami Al-Baqi, it is linked to the start date for the school year in River Nile State.